A Dream is a Wish
by Stitched In Ice
Summary: Working at a antique shop isn't the most interesting job in the world, but it decidedly takes a turn for it when Zoro happens across a bad mouthed genie in a lamp.


"I don't have anything to wish for."

Sanji stared at him for a few moments. "Wait- WHAT?" This... this was unbelievable. EVRYONE had something to wish for. "No, no no, that's not how it works. You _need_ to wish for something. You _have_ to!" He whined, tugging on his blond fringe.

"Why?" The man grumbled, staring at him, decidedly unamused.

"Well- well if you don't wish for something, then I can't _grant_ wishes. And then I'll be stuck here forever! I'll never fill up my wish quota and- and-" Sanji waved his arms dramatically, floating in tizzied circles. "You just need to!"

"Just go to someone else then." The green haired man sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. Jeez this guy was annoying.

"No- what I'm saying is that it's too late! You already rubbed the lamp, and now I'm stuck with you until I grant your three wishes!" Sanji yelled, face turning red. This stupid... stupid _marimo_ was standing in way of his freedom!

Peeking an eye open, Zoro stared at the blond genie. "... why is filling up your wish quota so important anyways?"

Sanji froze suddenly in his flying-pacing-thing. Turning slowly to face the man who had rubbed his lamp, Sanji stared at him hard. Was he... actually _asking_?

"I- ... well..." Where the hell should he begin? "Okay, so, I wasn't always a genie." Zoro looked up at him sharply. "Yeah, you never really wonder where genies come from, but genies are really just... well, they _used to be _just human." The blond scratched at the stubble of his chin as he pondered.

"Basically, a genie is a human who got on the wrong side of a supernatural being." Zoro was looking at him skeptically now, eyebrow crooked. "No really! There's a genie right in front of your damned face and you're having trouble believing in other beings? They exist; I should know."

Sighing, Sanji floated down a bit, whispy tail curling underneath him. "For me, well I got into a fight with this guy, Krieg his name was. He was attacking the restaurant I worked at. Obviously I kicked his ass," Sanji smirked here, smoothing down the lapels of his suit jacket. "But it turned out he'd roped a demon into working for him- probably bound him or something. Anyway, short story is that I beat up Krieg, Krieg got pissed and sic'd his demon- his name was Gin or something, now that I think about it- on me and now I'm stuck like this. That's pretty much how it goes for all genies."

"But," Sanji continued, a wistful smile growing on his face, "there's an out. As a genie, it's our job to grant wishes- that's our punishment, seeing other people happy without us being able to- and if we fill up our lifetime quota as genies, we're free. We return to being human again."

Zoro, who had said nothing through out the entire story, sighed and scratched his head. "How big is this quota then?"

Sanji's half-smile abruptly plummeted. "It's... well, we don't really know. They never tell us. All we know is that it's a really big number and if we ever fill it up, we're free. That's all we know." He gave Zoro a rueful smile, shrugging hopelessly.

"But-" Zoro sat up in his chair, brows furrowed. "Then... what if it's an infinite amount? If you don't know the number, you can never know if you've filled it! That's bullshit!" He growled.

"You think I don't know that?" Sanji spit back. "We all know that there's pretty much no hope of ever getting free. But it's all we have- it's our only salvation."

But it seems Zoro wasn't done. "-and depending on how big the number is, put together with how rare it is to find a genie- it could take you centuries to get free! Lifetimes!"

"Well no shit, dumbass!" The genie yelled back with a curse. "I was sealed away in the 16th century! Of course I know!"

Zoro froze at that. "The... the 16th century?" He looked over the man-genie-guy, who's upper half was dressed in a suit ensemble, lower half fading into whisps.

"Yeah." Sanji nodded with a sigh. "It's... it's still the 20th century, right?" His face twisted in worry.

"Actually, it's the 21st now." Zoro looked at the other with something akin to sympathy on his features, before he quickly wiped his expression.

Sanji's lips pursed briefly as he nodded again. "Not surprised really. Time passes diferently in the other realm." The two men (or man and kind-of-man) were quiet for a few moments before Zoro spoke up.

"So... I can wish you free, right?"

His words were met with an astonished and disbelieving silence. Sanji gulped loudly as he scoffed, not daring to hope. "Well, I mean... yeah of course, but... Look, it's pretty asshole-y to bring that up when you won't so-"

"Who says I won't?" Zoro cut in, scowling. "Like I said before, there's nothing i want to wish for and if the only way to get you fr- to get rid of you is to free you, then I will. I don't want to be stuck with _you_ forever."

Sanji stood- floated- whatever- there, petrified. "You... you'd really... I..." It seemed he was momentarily speechless, hands clecnhing and unclenching.

"Let's make this simple." Zoro pushed off from his chair to stand in front of the spectre. "I wish you were fr-"

"WAIT! " Sanji broke in breathlessly, hands held up in the stop motion. "Just- can you... will you wait until I can go tell everyone? Just so they know that... so they know what happened to me." He asked the question hesitantly, softly. Yes, he wanted to say goodbye to his friends, but if it was at the price of his freedom...

"Go ahead." Zoro grunted as he sat back down at the rickety desk. "I'm only on shift for three more hours though, so make it quick."

"You'll still be here when I get back?"

"I will. Promise." There was a steely look of determination in his visible eye as Sanji nodded, disappearing into smoke as he did.

-0-

Five hours later, Sanji reappeared in quick whisps as he looked around wildly. It was dark.

_'Shit! I took too long!'_ he cursed softly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. _'I said I'd be quick, dammit! He's probably up and gone by no-'_

"Genie?" Zoro mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he yawned.

Sanji spun searching for his savior in the dark. "You're- you're still here?!"

"Of course." Zoro mumbled as he sat up from his nap in the uncomfortable desk chair. "When I say I'll do something, I do it." He raised a brow at Sanji as he spoke. "Unlike some people." He jabbed with a smirk.

Sanji held back a growl and a swear as an embarrased flush rose to his cheeks. "Like I said, _asshole_, time passes differently. To _me_ it feels like it's only been 10 minutes." He said through gritted teeth, exhaling through his nose. "It's not my-"

"I wish you were free."

Zoro's words were like a kick to the stomach and Sanji's breath caught.

"I wish you were free." He said again, crossing his arms and leaning back in the old chair once more.

"You-" Sanji was cut off again when his skin started to steam. His translucency turned to transparency and he began to fade.

_He was free._

_He was __**free.**_

_Oh god he was FREE._

_"My name's Sanji!" He yelled, words soft and quiet, like a distant echo._

_"Zoro." The green haired man said in return, with a quirk of the mouth._

_"Zoro... Thank you." _

_He was gone by the time his words settled in the dusty room, leaving Zoro alone with the dull lamp that had began the whole thing not even a day ago._

* * *

**Soo... Do you like? I really like this idea of mine (and it is all mine) and I'm kind of scared that posting it here means I might not be able to re-work it and get it actually published..? But anyway, would you guys like to see more of this? I was planning on having Zoro eventually free the whole crew and then they all meet up in the real world again. And no, not a ZoSan. I think I was actually planning for ZoLu initially, but no pairing would work better now I think.**


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